Updated March 13, 2023
Introduction to Multithreading in C#
C# is pronounced as C-Sharp, which is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language which allows users to develop desktop applications that run on the .NET framework. It was developed by Microsoft and led by Anders Hejlsberg.
C# is used as a professional language because of the following reasons:
- It is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language.
- It is the component-oriented programming language.
- It is a structured language and easy to learn.
- It runs on.Net Framework and compiled on different types of platforms.
This article has been prepared for learners to understand Multithreading in C#. It is based on C and C++ programming languages, and if you have a basic understanding of C or C++ programming, then you can easily learn C#.
What is Multithreading in C#?
Multithreading in C# is a way of executing multiple tasks or processes simultaneously. To achieve multithreading, it requires a multitasking operating system.
Execution of every program is a process and a process uses a term called thread to run the code inside an application. The thread is a lightweight process that specifies the execution path of a program.
Multithreading in C# defines executing multiple tasks at a time and uses System. Threading namespace to create a multithreaded application in C#.
Windows operating system is an example of multitasking; it can run more than one process at a time such as running Google Chrome, text editor, Windows media player, etc at the same time.
Understanding Multithreading in C#
You can understand the process of multithreading with the help of System.Threading.Thread class. It starts when an object of this class is created and ends when the thread has completed the execution.
Multithreading contains the following life cycle:
- Unstarted State: This state defines an instance of the thread is created, but yet to call the start method.
- Ready State: In this state, the thread is ready to run and waiting for CPU cycle.
- Not Runnable State: This state occurs when sleep and wait method has been called and blocked by I/O operations.
- Dead State: It represents thread has completed the execution or is aborted.
How does Multithreading in C# make working so easy?
Multithreading in C# makes working easy with an application because of the following points:
- Multithreading provides parallelism in a multiprocessor environment, in which different types of processors can be executed parallel by threads.
- By working parallel with Multithreading, there will be an increase in the responsiveness of a user interface.
- If one thread is waiting for a response from another computer, then other threads can continue execution.
- Threads can distinguish tasks based on priority; critical tasks managed by the high-priority thread, and low-priority thread manages other tasks.
What can you do with Multithreading in C#?
By using Multithreading, you can execute multiple tasks simultaneously over a certain time interval. As we have discussed, every program run inside an application by using a thread. Therefore, the thread is responsible for executing the logic of every program which is often known as Main Thread of an application. In the present situation, every application uses multiple threading. An application contains user interface thread which can interact with the user and background worker threads that perform other tasks.
Advantages
Following is the list of few advantages :
- Multithreading in C# improves the performance of the processor by executing computation and me/O operations simultaneously.
- Multithreading minimizes the usage of system resources by using threads, which share the same address space that belong to the same process.
- Multithreading maintains the responsive user interface.
- You can access multiple applications at the same time, because of quick context switching among threads.
- Multithreading simplifies complex program structure by writing each activity in separate methods.
Required skills
Multithreading is based on the C and C++ programming languages. If you have a basic understanding of C or C++ programming, then you can easily learn C#. It follows the features of high-level languages like C or C++ and being an object-oriented language, it has strong similarity representation with Java.
Along with the above skills, the candidate should have below skills which could help in developing applications:
- Client-side web development technologies
- Databases
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD)
- Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP)
- WEB API
- AZURE
- SharePoint
- Other JavaScript libraries and frameworks
Why should we use Multithreading in C#?
We should use or we need Multithreading in C# to perform the multiple tasks at a time. The main objective of multithreading is to execute two or more parts of a program at a time to utilize the CPU time. The multithreaded program includes two or more parts that can run concurrently.
We need Multithreading in C# for the following reasons:
- It maintains a responsive user interface.
- It performs parallel programming to execute calculations faster on multiprocessor systems.
- It handles the requests simultaneously on both server and client side. For instance, handling peer-to-peer networking.
Who is the right audience for learning Multithreading in C# technologies?
Multithreading in C# technologies has a large target audience as it is developed by Microsoft Corporation. It has a larger community because it develops new tools and software’s to make it exist in the system. Beginners can easily learn the C# technology if they have basic knowledge of C programming language. It is widely used by software developers who develop Windows desktop applications and games.
How this technology will help you in career growth?
As we know C# is a server-side application framework used for developing static or dynamic web applications. It is quite famous for web development and web development using.Net technology has a great future. In the present situation, there is a lot of demand for applications which are built on this technology. So to make career better in the web development field, everyone wants to learn this technology as its high in demand nowadays.
To become a developer, you need to learn Microsoft .NET framework. Once you finish learning, you can apply for developer jobs and can look for a good package annually.
Conclusion
So far, we have seen some important concepts of Multithreading in C# and its advantages required skills for C# technology, the need for Multithreading in C#, etc. In simple words, you can use C# language to develop web-based applications, form-based applications, and web services. Also, you can develop applications for Windows, mobiles, web, etc.
Recommended Articles
This has been a guide to What is multithreading in c#. Here we discuss the concept, required skills, career growth and advantages. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –